


Hello, Pine Tree

by Sariberri08



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Anxiety, Gen, Gravity Falls - Freeform, Multi, Mystery Shack, Other, Post-Weirdmageddon, References to Depression, Returning to Gravity Falls, Weirdmageddon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 22:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20089777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sariberri08/pseuds/Sariberri08
Summary: Weirdmageddon is over. Bill is dead. So why is it that Dipper and Mabel Pines have yet to adjust? The Pines twins struggle to move on from their Summer in Gravity Falls.





	1. Dreams, Nightmares, and Pancakes Oh My!

Tick. Tock  
Tick. Tock.  
The clock was stuck, surely it was. There was no possibility of it only being Three O'Clock in the morning when Dipper Pines was certain whole life times and civilizations existed between each excruciating tick on that infernal thing. 

He had given up sleeping weeks ago. Any time he tried he was subjected to reliving the darkest days of not only his life, but all of humanity's. The red of the sky, the unfathomable and grotesque creatures that had emerged from it, but worst of all, a laugh that haunted his every moment. 

The first few days after the aptly named 'Weirdmageddon' had been deceptively nice. That lover of chaos and deception was gone. They had outwitted him in his own masochistic games and they, their friends and family, were all spared his wrath. With this, a euphoric high of relief and false security had carried both he and his twin through nearly a week of normalcy and calm.

But then the dreams started. 

Mabel got them first. It had been on the bus ride home when they were about two hours shy of the Piedmont city limits. She awoke abruptly, screaming and completely unreachable in her state of delusion. Helpless, he watched her sob and cry hysterically for it to all end. It took most of the remaining ride for Dipper to fully pacify her and quell her irrational worry, to ultimately assure her that they were in fact safe. She was wide eyed and silent the rest of the trip, but she never let go of his hand.  
  
He wished it would be a one time thing; just an expelling of the last bit of nerves and anxiety from the whole ordeal needing to get out. But it wasn't.  
  
Once home it seem to be all the more exasperated. Their parents, although nothing but loving and attempting to comprehend the impossible, found they could no longer relate to what their children were experiencing. They were not one of those that had gone through the horrors of Bill Cipher first hand. They were not Wendy, who would say, 'yeah, this sucks more than than the time Robbie dared me to drink dumpster water. I completly feel ya dudes'. They were not Candy or Grenda, who would have scooped both twins up in their arms and cried with them. And, they were neither their Great Uncle Ford or Stan, who would have done anything within their power to make it all just a little more bearable, and whose mere presense would have been an undeniable comfort.

But that was Summer. They no longer lived in the sleepy paranormal town surround by those that knew them the way comrades in arm knew their platoon. No, it was just them here, and sometimes it wasn't enough. 

Dipper could finally feel his eyes getting heavy. Fight as he may, even he had his physical limitations. He would just have to deal with the nightmares as they came. Better that he accept it now he supposed. 

Tick. Tock  
Tick- 

"STOP, STOP IT! FUC-AHHHHHHHHH!"

Dipper shot out of bed. He was in Mabel's room two seconds flat, rushing to her bedside in the dark. 

She was trashing about, even as he brought her into his arms. He took the brunt of her hits and kicks, fully knowing those would bruise later. He didn't care. She was screaming and cursing, pounding her fist against his chest relentlessly. 

"Shhh.... shh. Mabel, Mabel you're safe, I promise. Wake up, please, it's me..." he mumbled softly.

It took a few more times, but slowly her screams stopped and her flailing ceased. He heard her whisper his name, sinking into his shoulder with a heavy sob. He wanted to cry too, wanted to be as vulnerable as she was when it came to expressing all that weighed on him. But for her, he would be strong for as long as he could. 

The hall light turned on, and soon their parents' faces were peering from the doorway. Mabel was still in shambles from her night terror, so impatiently he waved them away before she saw them. She wanted them to think their little girl was back to being her old cheerful self once more; the least he could do was let her believe she was succeeding. 

Although he saw the hesitation in their pained expressions, they quietly retreated back to their room and turned off the light. He knew it was hard on them and that they were at as much of a loss as he was in how to endure, truly he did, but it didn't mean he was willing to accept their well intention help. How could they even begin to fathomed the things they had miraculously survived, the horrors it took to do so? No, this was a fight only he and Mabel knew the horrible extent of.

"Mason, I was so scared...." she said into his hoodie after a few minutes of composure, her voice faltering as she did. Dipper was slightly taken aback by the use of his name, his sister rarely reverting to using it. He felt his grip tighten unconsciously around her back. This wasn't her. He missed his sister, the one to take on the world with glitter and a smile, the one that would have never settled for anything less than optimistic. Bill had broken her.

"Hey don't sweat it Mabel, I'm here ok-" she pushed off of him, shaking her head profusely with brows knitted and her eyes squeezed shut.

"But I left you! I was s-s-so selfish! EVERYONE, could have died! Y-YOU, you could have died! FUC-" 

"Enough of that. No one died, and more important neither did you. I'm here, okay? I'm not going anywhere, Dum Dum," he said, watching as she slowly opened her eyes and faced him, the tears still rolling down flushed cheeks. He patted her head and playfully pinched her nose, warranting a weak little laugh from her. 

He tucked her back into bed and was nearly about to get up when she grasped onto his wrist. He looked at her, her eyes gleaming and bright in the weak light of the moon pouring into her bedroom window.

"Dipper..."

He searched her face, the wetness of her tears still prevalent and her nose shiny and pink. 

"You want me to stay with you?"

She nodded, quickly handing him the extra pillows and blankets from her bed. He took them, mock rolling his eyes for her as he set up camp there on the floor nearby. He settled into his makeshift sleeping arrangement, glad to see his sister give one of the first genuine smiles he'd seen in weeks. 

\----------

That next morning Dipper woke up far later than he had expected. It took him a few disorienting moments to realize where he was and how he winded up on the floor of Mabel's room. But there she was, sleeping on the bed with Waddles the pig by her feet. He supposed their parents had made an exception and let him into the house given last night's events. He'd have to remember to thank them for the gesture. 

A glance at his watch let him know it was nearly ten thirty, but that couldn't be right, it was a school day wasn't it? 

He let himself out of the room, petting Waddles before he did. 

"Mom? Dad?" He asked with a yawn, wondering if they were home after all. He inevitably stumbled his way into the kitchen and found two things that piqued his interest. One was the stack of pancakes all nicely covered in cling wrap and looking exceptionally delicious. The second was a note tucked just underneath the plate.

_'Kiddos,_  
_Thought you two might need some extra rest today._  
_Called the school and told them to excuse you both._  
_Enjoy the pancakes and see you tonight after work. _  
_With love, _  
_Mom and Dad'_

It was clearly in their mother's writing, but he liked that she thought to include their father. Taking about half the stack of flap jacks and leaving the other for Mabel, he read and reread the note a few more times; tying as he could to focus on the love part. 

He did what he could to clean his mess in the kitchen and work on some of the homework he had forgotten to finish the previous night. Well, it was less fogotten and more so that he had no inclination to do it. After a few false starts he left it there, still untouched, and picked up one of the books Ford had sent him recently. He thumbed through it unenthusiastically before deciding he wasn't in the mood to read up on _Extra Terrestrial Technological Advancements in the Milkyway Galaxy- The Unabridged edition_ now anyways. Maybe later, he convinced himself as he set it aside and went to go sleep once more.

\--------- 

Gravity Falls in ruins.... those twisted chaos bubbles messing with his head... Bill laughing and laughing, the sound ringing in his ears..... Grunkle Stan's memories.... it was his fault it happened, he messed with Ford's journals.... it was-

"Dipper. Dipper wake up!"

"Mabelwhatswrong?" he asked in a slur, bolting upright and just barely avoiding colliding with her forehead in the process. She put her hand across his mouth, looking petrified of something. 

"Someone's at the door. They haven't knocked but I heard them there and I can't look," she explained in a hushed voice.

Dipper stared at her blankly, still trying to work out her words through a fog of sleep. He tried putting two and two together and asked, "are you telling me so that we can hide or so I can go look...?"

"I'm not sure, both I think?"

"Mabel I'm not positive I can do both," he muttered with a sigh, "look, you go hide in the bathroom and lock the door, take your phone with you. I'll go see if I can find who it is. Okay?"

She nodded, rushing off towards their bathroom down the hall. Once he heard the door click shut, Dipper stood on top of his bed and peeked out the window to check if there were any cars visible over the fence. He wasn't seeing anything. 

Grabbing a bat from his closet, just in case, he slowly made it to the front of the house.

Mabel was right, there was certainly someone there on the porch. From the shadows of the hallway he watched them pace back and forth behind the frosted windows, their silhouette that of a man, no doubt. Big in stature too. His grip tighten around the neck of the bat.

He debated on calling the police, or maybe waiting to see if he went away on his own. 

He knew what his Grunkle would do. He would take that bat and stop pussyfooting around and do something about it. Be a man and protect his home.

Emboldened with absolute worst voice of reason, Dipper marched straight toward the door and without so much as flinching, unlatched the locks and swung the door open. 

"SWEET MOTHER OF- hey, Kid! You're home!"

"Grunkle Stan?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for the read. Please leave some love in the comments and I hope you enjoyed! More to follow soon.
> 
> Art by me :)


	2. Academic Excellence

Dipper stood in disbelief at the man before him. Tall and gray with the same square rimmed glasses, Grunkle Stan was truly there in California. 

"You scared the bejesus out of me Stan, what are you even doing here?"

"I could say the same for you, Kid! Gotta say I'm pretty proud though," he added, nodding toward the bat still clutched white knuckled in his hands. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "sorry for scaring you, I honestly didn't know anyone was home. I figured your parents would be working and that you guys wouldn't be home from school until a few more hours."

Dipper took a moment to process. 

“But, why are you here though…?” he asked for a second time, finding himself a little irked that Stan almost seemed determined not to address it. 

“Oh, yeah yeah. Well I got a rather interesting phone call at some totally bonkers hour of the night. Something about you and your sister having a bit of a rough go,” he said with a wave or two of his hand before ruffling the already disheveled bedhead Dipper was sporting. 

“What the actual fuck! They called you about that?!” he spat pushing Stan’s hand off him. He felt the earlier gratitude towards his parents rapidly eclipsed by their decision to go behind both of their backs and treat them like they were five again. No, there was no way anyone could still be considered a child after quite literally making it through Hell and back. They had no right. He could handle it, and he damn well could take care of Mabel by himself. 

“Cool your jets, Kid… they’re parents, they’re gonna worry regardless. Happens the minute you’re born and never stops, well, from what I’m told,” Stan gruffly explained, giving a stern glance from behind his glasses. He took in Dipper's unwavering glare and sighed, “Look, they’re trying…cut them some slack, got it?”

Dipper was just about to retaliate with a smart-ass response (whole paragraphs worth with inflections and all) when Mabel suddenly came tumbling out of the bathroom. She caught one sight of their Great Uncle and all but flew into his already extended arms. 

“Grunkle Stan! I’m so…” she was weeping for the ninth time this week, Dipper noted subconsciously, “I-I’m so so… I can’t believe you’re h-here…” 

Happy. Though Dipper, she didn’t say she was happy. 

“Hey Sweetie… It’s good to see you too,” he said, wrapping her into a tight embrace and letting her cry it out on his shoulder. He patted her back and only stopped once she had calmed some. Mabel cleared the few tears still clinging to her lashes, and asked, “Is Ford here too? I thought you guys were still out sailing?”

Dipper was somewhat dismayed. Perpetually observant, he hadn’t even realized his Uncle’s missing presence or thought to ask about him. Emotions were unwarranted burdens he decided.

“Well we got back just about a week ago to Gravity Falls but, you know Sixer, he went straight to work writing about the crazy stuff we did and saw. He sends his love though,” Stan advised the twins, Dipper’s nonchalant attitude causing him to raise an eyebrow.

“Uh, Earth to Dipper, did you hear what I said? My geeky brother is writing another of one those dumb journals of his. I thought you would be foaming at the mouth just at the mere mention…” 

“Oh.”

Stan sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head as he grumbled, “Sheesh… your folks were right… Well, no use standing here until they get back. Let’s go get some Pitt Cola Floats!”

\---------  
Dipper enjoyed having his Uncle nearby. To have someone that just with a look could sooth his worries and put his mind at ease. When they got back from ice cream and a walk around the block a few times they, were greeted by their parents and treated their father’s baked macaroni.To hear his stories, to see his sister actually engaged in them, it was what he had hoped for months to achieve. It was, well, nice.

It was halfway through dinner though when the landline started ringing and their mother stepped away to answer. 

Dipper had half a mouth full of cheese and was listening to Stan tell his story about being stranded for three days on the Stan of War II when his mother’s voice came carrying into the room, “Oh, Standford! So good to hea- Huh? Oh, why yes he’s here! Would you… uh huh… oh, of course, let me get him for you.”

Stan was already up and walking towards the phone before another word was spoken.

“Ford, what’s wrong?"

Dipper and Mabel caught one another’s stare from across the table. He watched her whole expression darken as she pushed her half-finished plate away and turned towards the window. They both knew he wouldn’t be staying anymore.

\---------

Since Stan had left, Dipper felt even more on edge than ever. He had apologized for showing up and leaving on such short notice but had insisted her had to leave that night. 

It was an entire week later now, and school was grating on him immensely. Teachers kept expecting more of him, the previously known brainiac, and singling him out in the middle of class in front of absolutely everyone. He was finding it increasingly difficult to hold his tongue and not land himself in detention in spite of wanting to tell them to shove their questions where the sun don't shine. His whole jaw ached from keeping his mouth locked and his teeth throbbed from grinding them for hours on end. 

"Now, Mas-"

"Dipper."

"I beg your pardon...?"

"I said it's Dipper. I don't go by my first name," the annoyance dripping into his words. Across from him his principal looked nothing short of flabbergasted. He took particular pleasure in seeing her open and close her mouth like a fish out of water.

She didn't seem to appreciate the insolence in his tone, because she quickly lost the fake hospitality and adapted a more authoritative voice when she said, "now then, _Mr. Pines _... I've got to say I'm thoroughly perplexed. Not once have I had to call you in for conduct, or anything short of academic excellence for that matter. Your teacher is concerned at this shift in priorities and this new pattern of neglect regarding your education. Care to enlighten me what's going on here?" 

"Not particularly," he muttered back, glaring considerably as he did.

"Mr. Pines! You're not above getting reprimanded young man, but I believe that something is troubling you and I would like to help before automatically resorting to punishment. Heaven knows your sister is nothing but a shell these days and-"

"Don't. You. Dare," he growled in a voice that even he was startled he produced. Swinging the chair out behind him, he snatched his bag and stormed out of the pastel puke pink room she called her office. 

He was seeing red as he stomped off down the hall. He should have torn into that spineless woman for even mentioning Mabel like that, as if she wasn't trying her damnedest to move on and feel better again.  
Groups of people were hanging about, dispersing slightly as he approached. He was over the staring, over the snickers and pointing whenever he or Mabel walked by.

_'Oh there goes one of those weirdo twins' _

...he flinched. 

_'WTF is their problem?'_

... yeah like he cared.

_'Can't they just leave?'_

... in a damn heartbeat he would. 

_'Ew...they're such an eyesore' _

...It never, ever, stopped. He wanted to, he wanted ...well he wasn't sure what he wanted, but it certainly wasn't this facade of let's all pretend we're good he was currently forced into. 

"Really, Mabel, didn't you think to comb your hair at all today? Please, do us all a favor and at least try and appear presentable. K?" 

He stopped.  
A few doors down the hall he could see his sister, her head bowed and her face hidden behind her curtain of bangs. She was encircled by a gang of girls their age, all of them giggling and complementing one another on their offensive quips. One of them he knew by name, the other he didn't but had certainly seen her before. The last he had never, but she was tall and had pale blonde hair down to her waist.

His heart was pounding erratically against his ribs. He tried to speak. He wanted those girls to stop, to leave her alone. His voice refused to leave him, but he needed to protect her like she had his whole life. She was breakable right now, he was too, but he would not, absolutely could not, let her fall the way she had that summer. He had nearly left her side at the sheer proposition of standing at Ford's. He had been so close to making her go through this without him.

"Oh look, Mopey! Your brother Dopey is here too. What's wrong? Feeling _‘extra’_ extra special today?" instigated their appointed leader, her midnight black eyes alight with mischief. Mabel looked up right away, her focus now directed at him. Something was there behind her gaze he couldn't quite pin down.

He was finding it hard to breathe. He nearly didn't trust his vision when he saw Mabel turn on her heel and land a solid hit to the Blondie’s face. She started screeching at inhuman levels as blood was leaking from between her fingers; attempting to suppress the damage Mabel had inflicted to her nose. He wanted to cheer in her victory, but he was worsening rapidly and had no idea what was happening to his body. He was starting to feel light headed now.  
"Dipper? You okay, Bro Bro?"

Mabel was staring down at him, nearly lost in her oversized plain gray sweater. When had he slid onto the floor? She was clutching her lunch box and books in hand with a look of pure worry gracing her features. He rested his head with an unintentional thud as he leaned back, nodding and choosing not to speak in case he was going to be sick.

"You look like you need some water or maybe a juice, you're all pale. Give me a second," she said before sprinting off to what he assumed was either the cafeteria or vending machine, her long mess of hair waving behind her. 

His fingers and toes were numb, his chest progressively getting tighter. Flashes of a sickening gold flooded his vision. A bright orb appeared, mixing and bleeding into the color until only an eye was peering into him. His breath was shallow and quick, unable to catch it.

Whispers began to swirl around like some loving composition to Death.

He was dying, there was no other explanation. He was dying and it was terrifying.  
Laughter. That cruel and maniacal laughter. It seeped into his being until it fully embraced him as some long gone but never forgotten friend. His senses were deteriorating until he could no longer differentiate between reality and what was purely imagination. 

"I'm here Dipper, I'm here! Please breathe, come on- deep breaths. Innnn..... outttt....." 

His sister's words were reaching him. They were a lifeline in the darkness; a single strand of virtuousness saving him from the pain and hurt he was gasping to escape. 

He took a shaky breath as directed. His vision was losing some of the opacity and peeled away like strips of paper until everything was more and more transparent. He soaked in the light that was pulling him out of the madness. 

Finally, there she was. She was shaking, pupils blown, but he could see the relief radiating off her. She was tearing up, but before he could try and comfort her she was holding him. He was in a cold sweat and still working to catch his breath, but in the meantime he let his emotions purposely spill over for the first time in months. His sister, even if just for the moment, was back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you guys for all of the Kudos and for the read so far. I've got some plans for where I would like to take this story, so I do hope the direction as of now is one you're enjoying. Thanks again so much for the love, and please feel free to comment below. THANKS!!


	3. Homeward

Mabel's punch had certainly not gone unnoticed. She was still trying to help Dipper to his feet when the principal came tottering straight towards them. She was both blanched and beet red in the tips of her ears and the very point of her nose, and by all accounts appeared nothing short of enraged. Dipper took some blame in that.

The others in Blondie's gang were running alongside her, arguing that Mabel attacked entirely unprovoked and demanding suspension for her 'totally uncalled for' actions.

While they made their decent upon the pair of them, Dipper could see his sister starting to retreat within herself. He took her hand, a promise of solidarity no matter what was about to happen. She nodded, looking back to their personal little parade now only feet away.

The principal glowered over both of them, huffing from the exertion of the trip there and partly from the level of frustration. She saw the varying state each sibling was in and exclaimed, "Explain. NOW."

"Well you see I was at my locker-"

"-next thing I see they're harassing Mabel!"

"Then he started hyperventilating and-"

The principal waved her arms excitedly, bellowing out, "ONE AT A TIME PLEASE!"

Dipper gave Mabel a slight nudge. She then slowly started to retell the events before and after the whole punching ordeal, including his full on panic attack.

With her hand still securely in his, he could feel her shake the entire time she spoke. Neither of them had ever really been in trouble and certainly not for something as severe as fighting in school. He knew his sister was at best a bit boisterous and unconventional, but she was not one for causing harm.

After confirming their story and that of the other girls, she demanded that he and Mabel grab their things and come with her to the office.

Mabel let go of his hand, seeming to have lost the small gain of confidence she had displayed. Dipper wanted to explain that he still was incredibly impressed and proud of her standing up to those bullies, but he wasn't sure in earshot of the Principal was the best course of action.

Bags nervously packed, they hesitatingly followed the checkerboard tiles to the admin offices. They passed the open door of the nurse's office and on the cot closest the door was that fake blonde with her nose all bandaged and ice pack smashed against it. Dipper took immense pleasure in hearing the pathetic whimpers coming from the room.

Once standing in the doorway they were shuffled rather impatiently into that pink office with its oversized furniture, making it a tight squeeze for the group of them. She motioned for them both to be seated and waited with pursed lips to speak.

"Mabel Pines, I would stand to think you know we are a zero tolerance school when it comes to violence. I have no choice but to enforce a two week suspension for your actions," she stated brashly in an overly forced composure, looking right at Dipper as he parted his mouth to argue. With a glare she exhaled, "NOT NOW, Mason Pines. Your sister made her own decisions here, and I will not be swayed. As for your little outburst earlier in my office, you have your own punishment to consider."

"Then suspend me too, please."

Mabel reached out and tugged roughly at his sleeve, "Dipper, stop it! Don't do this, I deserve it, not you."

"If that’s what it takes to cool the both of you down and allow you to recoup, so be it. Mabel and Mason Pines, you're suspended for the next two weeks. Please go wait in the lobby while I phone your parents.”

\-------

As expected, the fallout of their suspension had been detrimental. They had gotten the worst of it on the car ride home. Their mother had been unnervingly silent while the Principal reiterated the whole fiasco in all its surly thespian glory. Dipper didn’t miss the twitch of her lip or the curling of her fingernails straight into her palms as she took in the shameful deeds of her children. 

The absolute moment their feet crossed the threshold, they were both directed to their respective bedrooms and told to stay there for the rest of the evening until their father arrived.

It was an agonizing. The anticipation knowing full well there were words yet to be declared that would inevitably lead to either more pent up emotions or, worse still, that it would end up being the tipping point in the ever tumultuous dam of ignored feelings. The scenarios he ran through his head had become exceedingly distressing when a soft knock and a kind voice called, “family meeting, Kiddo.”

Begrudgingly he obeyed, and none too quickly skulked into the living room where his parents waited. Dipper sat warily on the far end of the sofa closest the door, giving the semblance of a grunt to acknowledge them sitting opposite the coffee table next to one another on the loveseat. 

The rustling and slight shuffle of socks on the wood floor made Dipper inadvertently find his sister. Her eyes were rubbed positively raw, her nose a tell-tell sign of having just pulled herself together. She flopped down next to him and reflexively latched onto the nearest decorative cushion, covering her whole torso and most of her legs in a defensive position. 

“Let me preface this by saying this is by no means some kind of attack on the two of you. We simple want to help, or at least find a way to do so,” her voice was even but her hands betrayed her nerves. She lost her focus and allowed herself solace in the fan blades as they spun overhead. She mindlessly uttered, “I don't know how to help you anymore… I'm trying, okay, I'm sincerely trying here..."

They both knew she was, but didn't make it easier to accept they had driven their kindhearted and patient mother to such a point of helplessness. They knew there were tears she never let them see. Mabel had slid off the sofa onto the floor. She was buried in her sweater now, unwilling to face the world yet and unwilling to speak, all the while Dipper looked on with deaden eyes.

His look seemed to trigger something within his mother, and within seconds he witnessed her once more hiding the vulnerability and shove it deep inside.  
"I'm at my wits end you guys! You both refuse to go to therapy, you certainly won't talk about it to either of us, and now this?! Please tell me what I’m supposed to be doing here, because I certainly don’t know anymore!"

"Mom, I was just temporarily stressed out, that was it. And if you heard the way those girls spoke to Mabel you wouldn’t be upset at what she did," Dipper refuted as lightly as he could, trying to deescalate a problem he had the foresight to try and stop before it got too out of hand. 

"Okay enough!" Their mother snapped, "I get it, and Mabel, Sweetie, I'm so sorry... I'm sure she deserved what she got, but that's not how we raised you to solve your problems is it?"

From within her sweater there was a motion of her shaking her head and a mumble.

Their father knelled down on the floor beside her and put his arm protectively around her shoulders. She stayed put in her knitted cocoon, but she did lean against him from within the safety of the sweater. He looked lost and awkward, unsure it seemed of how he should be handling his daughter's morose state. His lips trembling slightly as he held her.

With a clearing of his throat he said, "We understand that there are things we can no longer help you guys with..."

Dipper knew where this was heading. It's what he figured his mother had hinted at. They were going to try and transfer their classes, maybe even schools. Probably have mandated councilor and therapy session five times a week. Not to mention twenty-four hour monitoring and constant chaperoning wherever they were. Now he waited for shit to it the fan.

"Your mother and I have been talking, and we think it may be best to have you both stay in Gravity Falls again."

Dipper nearly choked on his own spit, while Mabel poked her head out to verify she wasn't mishearing him.

"You mean it...?" He asked, scarcely above a whisper. Not too loud, not too much hope he told himself; afraid to shatter the illusion.

"Yes, we mean it. The night we called Stan he was the one who suggested it. He was here to talk to you guys about it, but his trip was cut short."

"Truthfully we were on the fence about it," their mother chimed in quietly from her spot on the loveseat, "but between the panic attacks and the fighting, I think you've made up our minds for us."

Mabel hugged their dad, thanking him excessively for letting them go back. The chance to live with their uncles once more, the chance to be surrounded by their true friends, it was what they had been aching for since the moment they had left. Their whole body hurt with the need to be there. As insane as it was, Gravity Falls was the place they felt most at home. Regardless of the terrors and the atrocities that had unfurled in that tiny town, it was were their hearts longed to be.

Dipper dared to ask, "so when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

It was really happening.

\--------

"You nervous?"

Dipper glanced at Mabel in the bus seat beside him. Her sweater was a deep blue with tiny stars sprinkled all over it. Her waves of hair were brushed and her bangs pushed back with the matching gold bow she wore. He could see the nearly giddy anticipation in the way she shifted from side to side there on her half of the aisle. If he had to guess, he'd venture to say this was the happiest she had permited herself to be in an excruciatingly long time. He held onto that bit of joy she exuded, wishing to protect it for her at all costs.

"Am I nervous? Pshhhh.... hardly," Dipper teased, lounging clear across his seat with his arms behind his head.

He stared up at the profanity laced ceiling of the bus and let his mind toss that simple question around. There were countless reasons to be excited, that went without saying, but what about the rest? Feelings aside, it was still the place so much had gone so terribly wrong. No matter how much they reassure one another, neither twin could fully shake that obnoxious nag in the dark recesses of their mind that constantly cooed, 'all my fault, all my fault'.

Dipper shook his head. He wouldn't succumb to such an obvious entrapment of guilt, not now. He moved his feet aside, just enough to see his sister glance out at the passing trees and cars as they made their way ever closer. Next to her Waddles snorted contentedly, his snout nuzzled across her lap.

Their first ride months ago had seemed unbelievably boring. They didn't know who it was their parents were shipping them off to see, having never met Stan before then or really even heard of him to be honest. They had both pitched a fit in their own ways (he with the silent treatment and she by bedazzling quite literally any and everything that proved most inconvenient). It shocked him how fast they had come around to not only their uncle, but the whole town as well. Gravity Falls had a way of taking you in and beating you into a kind of loving submission.

It wasn't long until the repetitive scenery of forests and road gave way to familiar road side attractions or towns, each another welcoming confirmation.

"Look Mabel! Gravity Falls, twenty-five miles!"

Mabel rushed over, squishing him flat against the window to see the sign before it was whisked out of view.

The talked spiritedly about who they needed to go see first and who they would surprise and how best to do it. They were laughing and joking until their sides ached, something that had unknowingly stopped with their return to Piedmont. A sense of normality was embracing them with each mile closer the bus took them, and they relished in it to their hearts content.

By the time the last few exits were here and gone, both of them waited in quiet anticipation, each staring out their windows and hugging their bags ready to disembark.

The crunch of the gravel as the bus pulled into the station was music to their ears. The sky looked bluer here, the cool air carrying the scent of pines on the breeze. They were home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm incredibly sorry this post ended being waaay later than expected, but I hope it was enjoyed none the less. Thanks, and please keep on leaving the love below. ♥


	4. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Colder

Dipper looked up to the sky, soaking in the warmth of the midday sun.

The clouds were wispy and bright, the air fresher than anything back in the city. It was a surreal feeling to be back here so soon. After everything that had occurred here, he had convinced himself his parents would never let him return while he lived under their roof. He understood how adamantly against it they were, but he also knew they felt they were out of options. They didn't know the truth of course, only the small details they had reluctantly disclosed and the haphazard news stories they religiously reviewed. The idea that he'd have to wait until he turned 18 or to graduate to be here had been such heaviness on him. As if his body knew, it felt lighter with each big breathe he took.

It seemed to be having the same effect on Mabel as she spun with Waddles in her arms.

They both locked eyes and busted out laughing at the silliness of it all, the smirks on their faces impossible to suppress.

Once their luggage had been retrieved and all accounted for, they watched the bus slowly roll down the road and back towards the nearest highway. In their spell of excitement, they were a bit taken aback to find no one waiting at the station. Hadn't their mother said Ford would be meeting them here?

"He probably got all caught up in some new amazing experiment and forgot all about the time," Dipper assured his sister after seeing apprehension build up behind her stare.

"You're probably right..." she murmured distractedly, shifting her bag higher on her shoulder and taking a few running step forward.

"Whatcha doin'?" Dipper asked, slightly amused.

"You really think I'm gonna wait around when we're THIS close? Forget that, time to make like a horse and hoof it!"  
\-----‐----  
Dipper was grateful it was mild weather wise. They couldn't have asked for better conditions than they got that afternoon, which made the hour walk to the Mystery Shack an overall pleasant one. Although the majority of it had been spent in silence, for once it was exceptionally comforting. Dipper had forgotten how good it felt to not have the feeling of dread overwhelm his head with when there was such lack of sounds.

Mabel broke up the monotony while humming this or that, mostly directed to the pig trotting at her heels.

Soon though, Waddles realized exactly where they were and sprinted as fast as his little legs could take him. They went carrying on after him, dodging trees and stumps as they rushed through the leaves and underbrush with that little pop of pink to guide them.

"Waddles, wait up!" cried Mabel as he nearly wandered out of view. It sent the both of them on a full out run in their attempt to not lose him. Dipper caught up just as they broke through the forest and the Mystery Shack was proudly before them all.

The shutters were in need of serious repair, the giant 'S' growing moss from its neglect on the ground. Not to mention the porch seemed downright feasted upon by termites. They beamed, glad to see it was exactly as the left it. Abandoning all restraint, the twins leap forward with their bags forgotten on the gravel path. Mabel reached the doorbell first and proceeded to press it a good deal more than necessary.

"Should I ring it some more?" She asked after a substantial amount of time had passed with no response, her finger already poised to try again.

"Nah, let's just go around through the gift shop," Dipper directed, once more hiking his duffle bag onto his shoulder and leading the way with Waddles bringing up the rear.

The door chimed as it swung open and the three of them marched inside. The shelves were lined with various knick knacks and fake oddities, but notably absent were any of the customers. Even weirder yet was the absence of someone at the register although, truth be told, it would have surprised no one if Wendy was playing hooky from her post.

They split up, Mabel heading into the employee only marked door that was the residential part of the Shack, while Dipper tried his luck on the rooftop hideout.

Up here the air was even cooler, the gust of wind sending an uncomfortably shiver down to the tips of his toes. He carefully navigated the loose shingles and such until he was at the optimal spot to view just about his whole surroundings. It was beautiful, breathtaking really, the picturesque sky expanding miles and miles to encompass every inch of Gravity Falls. But in all those lovely miles of sight, there was no sign of Stan, no Ford, no Soos, no Wendy. The feelings bubbling up were not dissimilar to that of the vile he had to hold back.

Mabel.

He scrambled to get down and back to the ladder without catastrophe ensuing. He had his left foot securely back on the ground when the vending machine door swung open.

Much to his surprise and complete satisfaction, there was Stan with Mabel at his side.

"Look who I found, Dippy Fresh!" She squealed, pointing enthusiastically at the haggard teddy bear of a man beside her.

"There you are, Kid! We've been looking for you," he grunted in what Dipper could only assume was endearment.

"I could say the same to you! Why were in the basement anyways?"

"Ah! An excellent question," He said in an excited gruff, "two words... none-ya."

Mabel rolled her eyes in jest and ran off to get Waddles some water and something for him to eat.

Stan seemed to loom over Dipper in her absence. His glasses were smudged and his lips set in a permanent scowl as he continued to observe him. He wondered why his mind would perceive such a ludicrous thing. Maybe the euphoric haze of returning was wearing thin.

"So, ah, I'm real sorry I wasn't there to meet you guys at the bus stop. Ford didn’t tell me it was today you guys were arriving. Or maybe he did and old age is finally catching up with me," he mumbled with a shuffle of one of his slippers, his scowl lifting to resemble a halfhearted grin.

Dipper easily shook off the weirdness of before at the apology and gesture. Coming from Stan, that was basically the equivalent of a solar and lunar eclipse occurring within hours of each other. Dipper shrugged as he took special interest of the water stain on turn ceiling before murmuring, "S'okay."

"Good, because I'm not apologizing again. Now then, why don’t you go throw your things into the room upstairs? I'm gonna find something for us to watch together," Stan huffed, settling into the old arm chair with ease and comfort. He was already flipping through the local channels when Dipper gathered up the few items they had brought and trudged upstairs to the attic.  
  
It was an odd sensation to be in that room after everything. Not much at all had changed except for a replacement of the sole window that had been shattered during the thick of battle. The colored light pouring in from the stained glass window bounced off the wood floor and the beams lining the ceiling, coloring his world in gem tone hues. He let himself drink in the sweet bit of nostalgia, sitting down on his old bed, their things in hand.

He stared across to the bed against the wall opposite him where Mabel’s boyband posters and drawings still hung untouched. Smiling photos stared back at him, innocent children that he no longer recognizes. He walked over and unpinned the first photo they ever took with Stan, the three of them with broad grins and sporting such fashionable fishing hats. The boy has a look of arrogance, with too much dependence on a logic that simply surpassed his years. He toted around severe lack of understanding the anomalies around them but hid behind a journal in a false confidence. That child thought he knew it all, and in doing so had made himself no better than some modern day Icarus tempting the Sun. 

Mabel peeked into the room, the photograph slipping from his fingertips. Her face was painted in rainbows, bathed in the refracted light. 

“Hey, did you know Ford wasn’t gonna be here?”

“What do you mean?” Dipper asked, Mabel picking up the forgotten photo and pinning it once more onto the wall. 

She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and went to retrieve her bag from his bed, unzipping it as she said, “dunno, Stan just told me he had some huge nerd-mergency pop up and left sometime last night.”

“Huh? When’s he su-”

“Didn’t say when he’ll be back.”

Dipper sat on the floor, undeniably miffed, not only because he was not getting the chance to catch up with his other uncle, but because if he had just waited a few more hours he could have helped. 

That boy in the hat was showing. He silently chastised himself for the slip, but it was too damn easy to fall into bad habits. 

Next to him Mabel was throwing out the entire contents of her duffle bag. She was examining whichever sock or tee she had currently in her hand before tossing it with a good deal more force than necessary onto the floor. She was shaking her head, the listing inside her head evidently not being met with the items before her. He watched her hurl off the headband she had so carefully picked out earlier with the rest of the discarded things.  
“Hey… you want to tell me what this is all about?” Dipper offered, praying he was not about to make matters worse by asking. 

Somewhat in line with what he had been expecting, he received a grumble of swears and a glare that could send a manotaur running back to its cave. Then, with an over exaggerated smile and in a voice octaves above okay, she declared, “Nothing to talk about. Nope, nada, zilch. Why wouldn’t I be okay that my two best friends, or anyone else for that matter, haven’t responded to a single call or text since we’ve been here? Oh! Not to mention that Ford just up and left? So yeah, I’m just PEACHY!”

The worries he had been holding onto and polishing until they shined felt of little importance in comparison to the ones his sister carried. He placed those little stones full of worry in another part of his mind to be dealt with later. 

“Well, it’s still early enough, what if we went to go pay them a visit? I know it’d really make them happy to see you again. We can even go swing by and get Wendy and Soos if you’d like!” 

“No.”

“No? Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“Aw, but Mab-”

“I’m going to bed, tell Stan sorry I’m not up for a movie after all,” she announced with such a tone of finality he didn’t dare test her resolve. Certain that anything he tried to express would fall on deaf ears for the time being, he came to the conclusion it would be best to respect her request space. He grabbed the book Ford had gifted him and silently left without another word.

From downstairs the noise of the TV let Dipper know Stan was right where he had left him. In bare feet he went down, careful to avoid the squeaky step three step from the bottom. With a hop down the rest, he peered into the living room and was greeted by a hasty glance and a nod. Deciding that joining him would be exponentially better than replaying the senses upstairs in solitude, he happily took a seat on the floor near his great uncle.  
  
The screen showed some old black and white flick, the main character chased down by poorly costumed zombies. The screams were ill timed and the acting so over blown it was comical, but he was glad none the less to be right were he was.  
  
After some time, and a few jars of fake cranberry sauce blood later, Dipper looked up and lazily inquired, “Oh,so hey Mabel told me Ford had something come up he had to leave and take care of. What was it?”

Stan appeared to sit up straighter in his seat, grabbing the remote and shutting the television down.

“Man, this movie is so cheesy you could serve it on crackers!”

“Stan…”

“Ugh- Okay okay! So me and Ol’ Fordies haven’t really been seeing eye to eye I guess you could say. I’m not sure where he needed to go in such a rush because we’ve barely spoken. I didn’t want to bring it up and bum you and your sister out. Okay?” he leaked in an abrupt confession, slumping ever further into his chair. With the light of the TV gone, his face was illuminated by only the low light of the hall, his eyes downward.

Dipper was gob smacked at this revelation. What had happened to the brother that rushed back to Gravity Falls after only twenty seconds over the phone? That couldn’t feasibly be the same man that sat in his defeat so dejected… a man that confessed things between his own twin were no longer on the mend. 

“Look Kid, it’s late and tomorrow I’m sure you and your sister are gonna want to go make the rounds to see all your friends. Let’s call it a night and we’ll talk more in the morning,” Stan muttered, standing up from his armchair and leaving Dipper in the room entirely alone. 

“Sure, we’ll talk later, night…”


End file.
